Archive for the ‘Advertisements’ Category

Comic book shops were common place by the beginning of the 1990s, but original graphic novels and trade paperbacks were not.

The Might Marvel holiday Wish List, sporting a caroling Spidey, Hulk and Cap, was a festive gift guide for the comic book fan. What could be simpler? Make a check beside the corresponding title, hand it to the gift giver and wait for Christmas morning.

Looking back at this pre-internet solicitation reminds me of how far the industry has come. Of course I forget this is 30 years ago.

The Mighty Marvel holiday Wish List (1990)

The year 1990 doesn’t seem that long ago. Saying 30 years does.

Anyway, 30-years ago trades and collections were not the norm. Marvel had its high-end Masterworks and DC its Archive editions. Those were available in most comic book shops and retail book chains. They were just pricey for the day.

Trades were much more reasonable, but still a novelty. That’s why it’s so odd looking at the ad paper and seeing so few story arcs collected.

Readers must also remember this was a time when stories were written from beginning to end with no worries about how they would fit in a trade.

As much as I love Neil Gaiman and Sandman, I blame the wordsmith for the advent of trade-length story arcs. He invented the four- to six-issue story arc with a few one-and-dones in between that seem to have become the industry standard for trades.

Having conquered print and radio, the Man of Steel turned his attention to a new medium.

The Adventures of Superman, starring George Reeves, aired from 1952-58, prompting a plethora of merchandise. Even more than what came before. Madison Avenue was finding television was proving to be a very profitable medium.

National Periodicals allowed the Superman likeness and logo to be plastered on almost everything. Here is a comic book page from the 1950s advertising a gaggle of gifts any red-blooded youngster could want. Included are: a Superman watch, Superman Official Magic Kit, Superman Muscle Building set, Superman lunch box and a couple other items I can’t identify.

For most of us, our introduction to Bugs Bunny was in Saturday morning or after-school cartoons.

In the fall of 1960 the Bugs Bunny Show aired as prime-time programming. Featured were his earlier animated works dating back to 1948. After two seasons competing with network sitcoms and dramas the wascially wabbit was relegated to Saturday mornings where he would remain for 40 years.

His comic book debut was long before that, appearing in Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies Comics issue one in 1941 a year after his debut in animated shorts. Dell spun Bugs off into his own book lasting 245 issues from 1952 through 1983. Bugs was further featured in several Dell-published Bugs Bunny entitled books outside of his vanity feature.

By the 1990s Warner Communications had control of Bugs and friends and published a long-running series of its own.

From 1942 through 1993 a Bugs Bunny comic strip was syndicated by Newspaper Enterprise Assocaition.

Here Santa Claus hawks the original Looney Tunes & Merrie Melodies book. For a buck subscribers receive 12 “fun-packed” issues. In addition, subscribers will receive “five beautiful color pictures of the principal characters” featured in the title. All are suitable for framing.

For me it was my final year of high school. Van Halen was about to unleash their last album with David Lee Roth. The Police were about to break up. George Orwell’s dystopian novel of political fiction was a buzz word.

Comic readers/collectors/enthusiasts were paying 60 cents a book at the new stand. Specialty shops were still in their infancy. Yet, if you heeded Hulk’s offer, subscribers would receive a 14-issue subscription for “only $6.00. That’s just 43 cents a copy!”

As a “special bonus” if two titles were bought at the low, low price of six bucks, the subscriber would then be eligible to add a third title for – get this – five bucks. “That’s just 36 cents a copy! You save 40-percent on your third title!”

Titles available ranged from Alpha Flight to X-Men. In all 25 regular monthly books were offered. Included were such titles as G.I. Joe, Crystar, Indiana Jones and ROM.

Only the venerable Savage Sword of Conan still existed under the magazine imprint and considered one of the “special” titles each month. The book boasted a hefty $17 price tag. Other “special” books included the in-house ad book Marvel Age, Ka-Zar, Micronaughts, Moon Knight, What If…?, Conan the King, and Marvel Fanfare.

Dallas is known for many things; the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, its football team, oil and cotton, a prime-time soap, but not New York superheroes.

That didn’t stop Marvel Comics Group and the Dallas Times Herald from offering at least five different adventures as give-aways.

America had just learned the answer to, “Who shot JR,” when the first of the lot was published. Most teamed Spider-Man with the Hulk, the latter still featured on his own television show. By the fourth venture creative heads decided to celebrate Christmas with Spidey trading quips and fisticuffs with his old foe the Kingpin.

A reluctant Peter Parker – who has never spent a Christmas with anyone, but Aunt May – is cajoled into acting as J. Jonah Jamison’s personal photographer for a dinner with billionaires.

The Kingpin, who didn’t receive an invitation, substitutes himself as the hired Santa. With his flunkies the Kingpin crashes the party taking all in attendance hostage. His asking price is $10 million per head.

Pre-dating the original Diehard movie, Peter slips away to trade casual clothes for his union suit. One-by-one he takes out the Kingpin’s hired help forcing a showdown between he and Kingpin.

In the end, it’s host Stanley Mudge who helps Spidey defeat Kingpin and save Christmas Eve – for his guests and Peter is who whisked back east in Mudge’s personal jet to spend Christmas day with Aunt May.

In addition to the first two team ups with the Hulk, Spidey found himself in search if the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders and in one final adventure with his Amazing Friends, Iceman and Firestar.

No figures can be found to see if the promotions boosted sales, but by the Dec. 8, 1991, the Times Herald shut its doors. Assets were bought the next day for $55 million and dispersed.